For the first time since 2017, the Ottawa Senators returned to the playoffs to take on their old rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in a highly anticipated Battle of Ontario matchup. The game did not disappoint, as the Senators came ready to prove they wouldn’t be pushed around, which led to several tense moments throughout the game. But the Maple Leafs kept composed for nearly all 60 minutes, leading to a dominant 6-2 victory, with Anthony Stolarz turning away 31 of 33 shots.
Game Recap
The Senators came out hot in the first period and threw their weight around as much as possible, but it was the Maple Leafs who opened the scoring 7:09 into the first period after Scott Laughton found Oliver Ekman-Larsson wide open in the slot, who easily put it by Linus Ullmark for the game’s first goal. Five minutes later at 12:18, the Senators were again caught in the wrong place, allowing Mitch Marner to get a breakaway and slip the puck above Ullmark’s glove, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead midway through the first. But, with the first period winding down, Dylan Cozens caught the puck and fired a shot on net, and when Stolarz bobbled the save, Drake Batherson popped it by the Maple Leafs’ goalie for the Senators’ first.
THE SENS STRIKE BACK! ????
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 20, 2025
Drake Batherson cuts the Leafs' lead in half ✂️ pic.twitter.com/kKhEEvCaLE
Ottawa led 13-5 in shots heading into the second, but Toronto maintained control largely thanks to the Senators’ penalty trouble. Tim Stutzle was handed a boarding penalty at 3:58, and it took John Tavares nine seconds to bury the Maple Leafs’ third goal. Then, Ridly Greig was assessed a five-minute major for a cross-check on Tavares, which was downgraded to a two-minute minor after review. The Senators were better at killing this penalty off until Adam Gaudette took an arguably weak cross-checking penalty against Auston Matthews, which led to a 5-on-3. This time, it only took William Nylander three seconds to make it 4-1.
The Senators kept fighting for chances and nearly evened the score when Brady Tkachuk had a breakaway early in the second period, and later, Batherson hit the post. But the Maple Leafs remained calm and collected, blocking shots and taking advantage of their opportunities when they presented themselves.
The Maple Leafs started the third period on the power play after Batherson was called for a controversial trip, once again putting Ottawa on their heels, but they bounced back at 4:00 in the period on a strong effort from Greig, who drove the net on a delayed penalty against Toronto. However, the Maple Leafs kept the Senators at bay with two more. Morgan Rielly caught Ullmark unaware with a shot off Thomas Chabot’s arm, and on yet another Toronto power play, Matthew Knies scored in a net-front scramble.
Frustrations boiled over with 45 seconds remaining, as a delayed penalty call turned into a scrum in which 20 penalty minutes were handed out to 10 players. The game ended with 45 seconds of four-on-four, leading to yet another penalty for Ottawa when Nick Jensen hauled Pontus Holmberg to the ice as the buzzer sounded. Despite the last playoff matchup between these two teams occurring 21 years ago to the day, they both still carry plenty of bad blood between them.
Both teams return to action for Game 2 on April 22 (7:30 PM EDT) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
